The inventory drawn up by the First Commission took several years to
complete. Although the "Grand Bey" map drawn up for the Khedive Ismail in
1874 provided a starting point, not all the buildings on this map were
included in the first Commission's inventory, and not all the numbers given
to the monuments on the map were maintained. For example, 282 mosques were
featured on the ''Grand Bey'' map, but only 129 were registered during the
work of the First Commission. Other monuments were listed, and then delisted,
and their number transferred to a different building.

When the inventory of the First Commission was
eventually finalised, the number given to each monument was inscribed in
Arabic, and hung on a plaque on the building itself. Most of these green
plaques, bearing a crescent motif can still be seen on the building today.

The same numbering system for the identification of the
monuments has been used in the Photo Archive on our website.